There’s lots of negatives we could focus on from Monday night’s loss, but there’s no way the Seahawks are 27 points better than New Orleans.

You know that. I know that. And both teams know that.

Just like there was no way the Saints were 25 points better than the Giants on Monday Night Football two years almost to the day ago.

And if you recall, that was the same Giants team that raised the Lombardi Trophy just two short months later.

New Orleans found out the hard way Monday night that Russell Wilson is indeed capable of beating them with his arm and that the Seahawks have one of the best defenses the league has seen in recent years.

We knew both were good. But that good? A startling and scary realization.

Those are two facts that make Seattle an even tougher juggernaut than we hoped they were.

But not an unbeatable juggernaut. There’s no such thing as a sure thing in this league.

Remember when we thought the 15-1 Packers were practically unbeatable two years ago also? I could cite the 2007 Patriots, 1998 Vikings and 1996 Broncos as well as several other examples of prohibitive favorites that faltered in the postseason.

Now, the Saints are tasked with picking up the pieces with the league’s hottest team entering the Dome Sunday night. It’s the only way they’ll be able to place themselves in position in case Seattle opens the door for anyone else next month.

And if history in the Sean Payton era tells us anything, we know that his squads typically respond really well to losses and that his squads not only don’t lose night games at home but have usually salted away victory by halftime.

And maybe no regular season night game in the Dome has ever carried more weight than this one as the Panthers loom on the schedule in Charlotte later this month in a game that could have similar conditions as last night’s slaughter in Seattle.

A home playoff game and a bye could be on the line Sunday night, and for a team that’s never won a road playoff game ever, that’s a really big deal.

So the sun could still rise on New Orleans’ season if they come out with their hair on fire Sunday night and make a statement versus the NFL’s darlings.

But if they don’t, clouds will cover what could have been a beautiful sunrise.

So as much as last night’s loss hurts, the Saints have to quickly put it behind them and focus on the next one.

That’s my challenge to you New Orleans.

Who Dat Nation knows you’re good enough.

Find your sunrise.

Watch the Saints/Panthers game on WDSU-TV as well as our Saints On 6 Countdown to Kickoff coverage.